This letter to the editor by Deputy Secretary's Regional Representative Eric Earling appeared in the Honolulu Advertiser on May 29, 2006.

Whatever Lee Takagi was describing in her Island Voices commentary ("No Child Left Behind leaving kids behind," May 17), it sure didn't sound like the No Child Left Behind Act.

Far from "killing" our schools, the law is reawakening them to their core mission. It ensures that all children, including limited English speakers, are held to high standards and brought up to grade level as quickly as possible in the two most important subjects, reading and math.

Takagi speaks of "mounting frustration and hopelessness." But there are few things more frustrating than being told by a university or an employer that you just don't have the skills they're looking for, despite holding a high school diploma. That is exactly what happens when schools expect little from their students.

That's beginning to change. Since 2002, when the No Child Left Behind Act was signed, fifth-grade reading achievement in Hawai'i has increased by 13 percentage points. Nationwide, more reading progress was made by 9-year-olds in the last five years than in the previous 28 years combined.

Increased standards have been coupled with increased resources. President Bush has proposed $46.6 million for students in Hawai'i's high-poverty Title I schools, a 76 percent increase over 2001 levels. Before No Child Left Behind, only about 15 percent of all limited English proficient students received federal assistance to help meet their unique educational needs. Today, 80 percent receive such aid.

The No Child Left Behind Act is helping to raise test scores and narrow the achievement gap in states all across the country. I believe this is something to be celebrated, not condemned.

Eric Earling
Deputy Secretary's Regional Representative
U.S. Department of Education, Region X